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Geraghty in form

BARRY GERAGHTY had a perfect warm-up for his ride on Brave Inca at Punchestown this afternoon when successful on all three rides at the County Kildare track yesterday, writes Alan Sweetman. The centrepiece of the treble came in the Irish Field Novice Chase when Purple Shuffle, the 14-1 outsider of a four-runner field, secured a narrow victory.

The Pat Fahy-trained eight-year-old was left in front when last season’s Irish Grand National second Oulart fell at the fourth-last, and he battled well to repel the challenge of Vic Venturi, whose bid to follow up a fine Galway victory got off to a bad start with a mistake at the first fence. Favourite Mattock Ranger was in trouble a long way from home and was a remote last of the three finishers.

Geraghty’s first winner of the day was on Piltown, who took the Event Centre 3-y-o Hurdle for Joe Crowley, and